Taliban prisoners' families release video, call for help

The freeing by the Taliban in Afghanistan of army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, a prisoner since 2009, has thrown the spotlight on others being held there, both soldiers and civilians.

A 2012 video is the last news the Boyle and Coleman families have of their son and daughter, one American, the other Canadian, taken while travelling in mountains near Kabul. The families have had the tape since last year.

The US State Department says privacy considerations mean it cannot provide specific details of the couple’s case, and it is trying to debrief Bergdahl before he is allowed home to Idaho, given the storm over his exchange for five Taliban terrorists.

He is alleged to have deserted in 2009, with his actions leading to the loss of up to six other soldiers.

His hometown of Hailey, population 8000, had been planning a big welcome home party, but that has now been cancelled, even if yellow ribbons flutter from roadside trees everywhere.